chicken tikka

Chicken Tikka Masala

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Chicken Tikka MasalaChicken Tikka Masala is a quintessential north Indian dish that has wide popularity here in US as well. Tikka means small pieces of meat mixed with spices. So Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish made of small pieces of chicken cooked with spices in a gravy.
Chicken Tikka MasalaTraditionally, Chicken Tikka Masala is made first by baking chicken tikka (here is the recipe for Chicken Tikka) using skewers in a tandoor (cylindrical clay or metal oven) and then using that tikka to prepare the gravy (masala). In my preparation method given below, I had used conventional oven for baking the chicken tikka. The taste of Chicken Tikka Masala is mostly dependent on the marinade that you make.
Chicken Tikka MasalaAs I had mentioned earlier, Chicken Tikka Masala is universally popular and is very easy to make. The origin of this dish is unclear, with various proponents claiming its invention. In fact there was even a motion set to be passed in the UK parliament to give geographically protected status for Chicken Tikka Masala in the UK (Glasgow, I believe). Good that it did not happen since I personally believe that Chicken Tikka Masala originated in India (ofcourse :))
Chicken Tikka MasalaI would say Chicken Tikka Masala is two dishes combined in to one, i.e., chicken tikka and the Chicken Tikka Masala. You can serve the chicken tikka as is as an appetizer and the Chicken Tikka Masala as an entree dish.Try this widely popular and very tasty Indian 🙂 dish and let me know your wonderful experiences, as always…

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Chicken tikka masala
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3
 
Ingredients
  • Cashews – 1 tbsp (soaked in water for half an hour)
  • Cinnamon stick – 1”
  • Cloves – 3 nos
  • Green Cardamom – 2 nos
  • Bay leaf – 1 no
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Onion – 1 no (cut into cubes)
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
  • Tomato – 1 no (cut into cubes)
  • Green pepper – 1 no (cut into cubes)
  • Green chilli – 3 nos
  • Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
  • Cumin powder – ½ tsp
  • Kashmiri chilli powder – ½ tbsp
  • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  • Salt – as required
  • Cooked chicken tikka – 1 cup
  • Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
  • Fresh cream – 2 to 3 tbsp
  • Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Add soaked cashews with few pieces of onions and tomatoes in a blender, make a paste and keep it aside.
  2. Heat a wide open pan with a tbsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and whole spices. Once you get the nice aroma of cumin seeds and whole spices, add chopped onions. Sauté it and cook till the onions turns brown.
  3. Add a tbsp of ginger-garlic paste and stir fry till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic disappears
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes and green pepper. Cook the tomatoes until they are soft and pulpy.
  5. Add coriander powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric, salt and little water. Sauté for a minute.
  6. Add cashew paste. Cook until the oil oozes out.
  7. Now add in the cubes of cooked chicken tikka and mix well. Pour in some water if the mixture is dry.
  8. Add in cream and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and lime juice and mix it well.
  9. The tasty chicken tikka masala is ready to be served with hot butter naan or rumali roti.

Chicken Tikka Masala

CHICKEN TIKKA

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Chicken Tikka Chicken Tikka is a popular north Indian dish made of small pieces of boneless chicken. The work Tikka means pieces (in Hindi). The peparation method for making chicken tikka is unique in the sense that the chicken pieces are baked in a clay oven called Tandoor. Given that we can’t have tandoors at home (atleast most of us, including me :)), conventional oven is a good alternative. It still tastes great baking the chicken tikka in an oven. Chicken Tikka Chicken Tikka is also the base for another popular dish called the Chicken Tikka masala, a tasty gravy. One of the main pain points for making chicken tikka masala, apart from the Tandoor is the moisture content in the chicken. Make sure to remove all moisture from the chicken tikka and the marinating ingredients as well. I usually marinate the chicken overnight which given the chicken tikka a nice flavor given that the masala gets absorbed by the chicken through the night. Chicken Tikka Chicken tikka is very popular in overseas Indian restaurants and as far I have seen, it is one of the most popular indian dishes among foreigners (along with naan). Also, given its dual benefit of having it as a dry item as well as a gravy (chicken tikka masala), it is one of the go-to dishes in functions like weddings, get-togethers and also in hotel buffets. Chicken Tikka Hot Chicken Tikka with a squeeze of lemon juice and coriander chutney tastes like heaven and can make anyone drool just by a glimpse of it. Here is the recipe to this wonderful dish. Let me know your thoughts and comments on your experience with Chicken tikka!

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CHICKEN TIKKA
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3
 
Ingredients
Marinade #1 :
  • Chicken thighs – 800 grms
  • Ginger & garlic paste – ½ tbs
  • Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 tbs
  • Salt – a pinch
  • Lemon juice – 1 tbs
Marinade #2:
  • Gram flour – 2 tbs
  • Kashmiri chilli powder – ½ tsp
  • Ginger & garlic paste – 1 tbs ( squeeze all the moisture )
  • Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt – 1 tsp
  • Garam masala – ½ tsp
  • Cardamom powder – a pinch
  • Dry Fenugreek leaves / Kasthuri methi – 1 /2 tbs
  • Oil – 2 tbs
  • Yogurt – 3 /4 cup (extract all the moisture with the help of muslin/cheese cloth)
  • Onion – 1 (cut into cubes)
  • Tomato – 1 (cut into cubes)
  • Bell pepper – 1 (cut into cubes)
Chat masala mix:
  • Chat masala – 1 tbs
  • Dry mint leaves – 1 tbs (crushed)
Instructions
  1. Wash and cut the chicken pieces into small tikka (uniform) size cubes. (smaller sizes are just good). Pat it dry with the clean tissue.
  2. Marinate the chicken given under marination #1 and leave for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
  3. Now cook the gram flour in a wide pan with a tbs of oil (in a medium flame). Keep stirring the gram flour for a couple of minutes and switch off the flame.
  4. Mix the ingredients given under marination #2 and check the salt and spices.
  5. Now mix marination #1 and #2 all together and leave it for at least 3 hours or refrigerate overnight.
  6. Soak the wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes (So that it don’t get burnt while you put it in the oven). While skewers are soaking, bring chicken to room temperature
  7. Preheat the oven to 450°F or max and put in in boiler mode.
  8. Brush a broiler pan lightly with oil.
  9. Divide chicken among skewers (about 4 cubes per skewer) followed by a piece each of onion, bell pepper and tomato cube in between the chicken cubes, leaving an ⅛-inch space between cubes.
  10. Repeat the step on each skewers. Brush oil on top of the chicken and arrange skewers across pan. The chicken is now skewered and ready to be grilled.
  11. Place the pan inside the oven and cook for 20 minutes. (checking between 8 to 10 minutes)
  12. Remove the pan, turn over the skewer and brush the chicken cubes with little oil on top.
  13. Now remove the rack from the oven and place it one layer up (closer to the filament), place the pan on the rack and broil for another 5 minute or until browned in spots.
  14. The nice and juicy chicken tikka is now ready.
  15. Mix chat masala and dry mint leaves and make a powder.
  16. Sprinkle little bit of the chat masala mix and lime juice on top of the kabab.
  17. Chicken tikka can be eaten with green coriander chutney served with onion rings and lemon,

Chicken Tikka